


Defenceless

by authorsparadise



Category: Saints Row
Genre: F/M, Saints Row - Freeform, Saints Row: The Third (Freeform)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2016-09-29
Packaged: 2018-08-18 09:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8156708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authorsparadise/pseuds/authorsparadise
Summary: The Boss, unfamiliar with the whole "Dating" thing, tries to figure out exactly what Shaundi is to him. [set shortly after SR3]





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! This is my first crack at writing anything on this site, so my apologies if i've messed something up. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell i'm doing haha. 
> 
> Anyway, thanks for checking out this story. If you like it then feel free to leave me some feedback and check out my other stuff as well, because i'm planning to write (or already have written, by the time you read this) a collection of short "Saints Row" works in the future. 
> 
> Thanks! 
> 
> \- AP

_He felt like an utter idiot._

Throughout the past few years, the Boss had taken down violent gangs without so much as a second thought. He'd been shot more times than he cared to admit, decided to drop a building on the leader of the Syndicate because taking the elevator seemed too slow, and he had also found himself in an arena facing off against crazed Luchadors with nothing but a chainsaw in his hands. Shit, he'd even battled an entire private army of those S.T.A.G assholes when they threatened to hurt his friends. And the most incredible part was that he had done it all like it was no more difficult than doing up the zipper on his pants.

Hell, thanks to Angel, the Boss could even add driving around in a convertible with a _fucking tiger_  to the never ending list of his fucked up life.

It was because of all he had been through, all the events that he had withstood in those short few years, that made what he was struggling with _now_ seem so utterly ridiculous that he had the overwhelming urge to shoot something. It was all just so mind-boggling to him that after everything he had endured, all the crazy and psychotic shit he had experienced since the day he started wearing purple, that asking Shaundi a simple question got him more worked up than all of it combined.

He honestly couldn't remember a time where he had been this strung up on asking a friend - one that he had known and trusted since he was just some twenty-year-old punk kid - something as simple as what he had in mind. 

And let's be clear, the Boss was anything _but_ a pussy, that was more Pierce's thing. But the fact that he was more nervous than he had been in a long time, made him constantly frustrated with himself. Sure, it had been years since he knew Shaundi as the half-baked, dreadlocks wearing girl he found so easy to understand back in Stilwater. Things were much more simple then, anyway. But even though she had changed so drastically in the past year or so - and now more than anything, she seemed to simply confuse him - _She was still the same Shaundi, right?_

 _No, of course not_.

If she was the same girl she had been before the death of their most trusted friend, Johnny Gat, then the Boss wouldn't currently be pacing along the length of his room, trying to rack his brain for anything it was willing to give him. The dark, Steelport night threatened to draw him out onto the terrace and away from the confines of his room, which he had turned upside down since waking in the early hours of the morning. A silky duvet had found itself helplessly sprawled across the floor and the sheets of the large, king-sized bed the Boss slept in had been scrunched up from the frustrated, restless sleep that had started all of this to begin with. 

Sure, the Boss knew he was no divine intellectual like Kinzie, or dare he even say Matt, but he hadn't felt this stumped about something in such a long time.

 _Let alone a woman he had slept with._ That was his problem.

Since Shaundi had joined the Saints back in Stilwater, the two of them didn't really think much about what they were getting themselves into. The first time he had ever spent the night with her, it was something he kept very close to his chest. Not because he didn't want to put up with Pierce's inevitable comments, or because he didn't want the crew to know he was fucking one of their Lieutenants.

 _Though he'd be lying if he said that all those things didn't cross his mind_.

No, the Boss never made their relationship - _or whatever the fuck it was_  - public, because he didn't wanna risk losing it. The way Shaundi's smooth skin felt against his, the curves of her body at the palms of his hands, the tickle of her breath on his neck. The way her laugh made him feel like nothing could ever go wrong. All of it made something stir deep inside of him and he was miserable at the thought of not being able to hold her in his arms. The only problem was that because of this, the Boss had no fucking clue what _they_ were.

He was undeniably attracted to Shaundi, it was kind of hard not to be.  _"Just ask half of the guys in Stilwater, they'll say the same thing."_  He often thought begrudgingly, annoyed that her past conquests had been affecting him more lately than they ever did back in Stilwater. He knew it was unfair of him to feel any remote emotion that even resembled jealousy, it wasn't like he hadn't indulged in his fair share, either.

But everything in his past seemed to feel outdone, overpowered by whatever it was that was consuming the him right now. Since Stilwater, the two of them had still been close, but not in the way the Boss craved. He would often watch her when she wasn't looking, studying every curve of her face like he was worried he might forget it. And on the rare times when she caught him staring at her, and her warm, hazel eyes met his, he wished she would never look away.

So much, in fact, that he found himself growing more vexed the longer he thought about Shaundi. To the point where the air in the room was becoming too thick, too similar to being suffocated.

Without permission, his mind wandered to Shogo Akuji, the young gang leader that had been in charge of the Ronin back in Stilwater. The Boss and Johnny had buried him alive several years ago after he had started a fight with them, one he would inevitably lose. The Boss felt no remorse for killing him as he had been directly responsible for the murder of Johnny's girlfriend, Aisha. But now with the hot air of his room threatening to choke him, the Boss suddenly felt a pang of accountability for how horrible his death must have been.

Finally, like a child in the midst of a tantrum, the Boss kicked the defenseless duvet as he quickly escaped the room, his mind occupied only with the thought of gulping down the fresh night air. When he emerged onto the terrace, his hands balled up in fists and his mind searching some sort of relief, he was surprised to find a familiar figure leaning on the railing, gazing down at the streets below. She wore a simple tank top that hugged her torso and breasts, which caused the Boss to remember every intimate moment he had shared with her. Her lower half was adorned by a pair of Genki pajama shorts, and her hair was swept up off of her face, apart from a few loose strands that fell onto her cheeks. 

It took a moment for the Boss to comprehend her standing there, before he began to collect himself. He relax his muscles slightly, despite the rapid thumps of his heartbeat against his chest, and drew in a few deep breaths of the refreshing night air. Silently he made his way over to her and lent against the railing by her side, his eyes focused on the brightly lit buildings surrounding the Penthouse. They were silent for a long time, each wanting to speak but both being unsure of what to say. Finally she cocked her head in his direction, and the Boss tried to ignore the way her eyes traveled across his bare chest and arms, admiring the many designs inked into his skin. 

"Can't sleep, Boss?" She asked simply, though to him her voice sounded like velvet. He gave a simple shrug, his eyes still trying to avoid her. 

"Got a lot on my mind." Was all he replied with, and it sure as hell was the truth. 

They hadn't been together properly since arriving in Steelport, always constantly being interrupted by blazing guns or someone needing something from the Saints. With both of their lives being so hectic, the Boss couldn't blame her or himself for being so distracted with everything. But just because he couldn't fault someone for it, didn't make it bother him any less. 

"What's going on in that big head of yours?" Shaundie cracked a smile, and it took everything inside of him to keep one from forming on his own lips. Whatever he was going to say, whatever happened after he talked to her, he wanted to make sure that she knew he was serious about them. When Shaundi noticed the lack of a grin coming from him, her gaze on his face deepened. He was only twenty-six, yet when she looked at him she sometimes, she struggled to see how young he still was behind all of the shit he had been though. Loosing Johnny had to of been hard for him, yet not once could Shaundi recall a time when he had snapped at her while overcome with his grief, or left her on her own because the memories were too painful. She felt guilty for how much she relied on him compared to how much she let him rely on her in return. 

Shaundi's eyes traced over the prominent features of his jawline, his soft, dark hair, then finally over the subtle curve of his lips. Whenever the Boss was stressed or had a lot on his mind, she never failed to notice how he would bite the inside of his check, or lick his lips. It was like a nervous habit, though she only ever noticed it when he thought he was by himself. The Boss could be facing off against an army and still seem more confident than she could even fathom, yet underneath that she wondered about the thoughts that she so often wished she could read from his mind. 

"Just thinking about some stuff, trying to figure out something." He shrugged, though she caught his tongue swiping across his lower lip. His eyes, which were the most pale blue Shaundi was sure she had ever seen, met hers. "Trying to figure _us_ out."

This caught her by surprise.

The Boss waited a moment for her reaction, and his heart sank slightly when she frowned. His eyes quickly flicked away from hers and soon he was watching cars lazily make their way down the street, their lights flashing and their wheels turning. He felt her cool hand slide along his wrist, warming his burning skin. He glanced down, tangling his finger within hers, his eyes tracing over the nautical star tattoo on the top of her hand. 

"And what have you figured out so far?" Shaundi asked, though the tone of her voice had changed slightly. She sounded more intrigued than anything, but the Boss could hear the unmistakable nerves that currently occupied his own mind. 

"Well.." He started, shaking his head with a small, anxious laugh. "I'm not very good at figuring out... _whatever we are_. I mean, it's not like we've ever really talked about it before." 

Shaundi sighed, though it was more out of the guilt she felt, rather than anything else. She knew that the Boss wasn't used to being exclusive with anyone, let alone when that person fails to even explain what they want. But she had to give him some credit. Since they had first been together in Stilwater, Shaundi hadn't seen him bringing other women home. She could only recall seeing him in the presence of strippers when at parties with the rest of the crew, and as much as she hated to admit it, the thought of him being all hers made her chest tighten, and the overwhelming urge to be wrapped in his arms sweep through her.

_He protected her, sure, but he was also one of the best friends she had ever had._

She knew that no matter what happened, he would always have her back. Not because he simply wanted to fuck her or because he wanted to gain something from her, but because he genuinely, deeply cared about her.

And she cared about him, too. 

"I don't really know what to say, apart from.." Shaundi paused, trying to collect her jumbled thoughts. She had so much she wanted to tell him, and he wanted nothing more than to spill everything he could to her, but he remained silent as she spoke. "I care about you, a lot more than I thought I ever would. And that.." She struggled to find the right words. 

"It's scary shit." He finished for her, earning a slight laugh from her due to his bluntness. "I've only ever cared about one thing in my life, and that's the Saints. But now here you are, and I can't even begin to explain how fucking confused I am." He paused, turning into her and pulling her gently into him. "And I..well, I mean.." Now he was struggling, and Shaundi couldn't help but smile. Here was the toughest man she had ever known, and because of how he felt about her, he didn't even know where to begin. 

"Shit, Shaundi.." He sighed in defeat, hanging his head slightly. When he opened his mouth to speak again, his voice was the quietest she had ever heard him before. "You know I'm not good at.. _this_ kind of stuff." 

With no words of her own, she used her free hand to gently raise his chin, locking eyes with him. Her thumb ran along his cheekbone and the Boss closed his eyes, the touch of her soothing, cold skin against his making him shiver. She leaned into him, almost painfully slow, and when her lips finally met his, the Boss couldn't believe how gentle her kiss was. It was slow and steady, making him crave her more each time she drew away from him, almost making him desperate before she would softly return. 

He hadn't been kissed like that in a long, long time; maybe ever. And every worried part of him, every stress filled thought and anxious decision was overpowered by how much he cared about the woman in his arms, her hands tangled together behind his neck while his rested on her hips.

"You know.." The Boss finally said once their kiss had broken apart, and Shaundi's hazel eyes drank in every inch of his face, every hint of expression hidden among his features. "If we were in an action movie, this would be the scene where you tenderly caress my face, before some wailing guitar ballad would kick in and we'd end up rolling around in the bed in some slow motion montage." He said with a sly smirk, wanting to make her laugh. Instead she rolled her eyes, though he had caused a grin to form on her beautiful lips, so he still called it a victory. 

"We'll have to make sure that scene ends up in the next Gangstas in Space, won't we?" Shaundi joked, pulling him over to the railing so they could once again admire the view. 

_Now it was his turn to laugh._


End file.
